Spraying device



Jan. 30, 1951 R. R. WARD ETAL SPRAYING DEVICE Filed May 31, 1947 INVENTORS HmoLD M7525;

ffm 1777 Patented Jan. 30, 1951 Waters, Columbus, Ohio, assignors to The Sherwin Williams Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation -of Ohio Application May 31, 1947, Serial No. 751,528

-1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a spraying device r'and has for its essential objects the utilization fof a standard type o'f liquid container to which our spraying deviceis adapted to be attached, and which shall afford a substantially uniform even spray, both when the container is iull and when only a small `amount of liquid remains in the container.

In our device the spray is effected by gravity pull, and an Objectis to provide means iorisecuring a gravity pressure head, or spraying force, even when the liquid in the container reaches Aa low level, and by which means also the lspray may be conveniently directed. l

n its preferred form our device Vcomprises 'a cap attachment for a "jug or like containena venting tube leading to ka point above the liquid in the container when the container is inverted, to vassure free now, and an extension carrying a specially 'constructed spray head or nozzle. An easily operable shutoff valve is provided to interrupt the flow While the parts are held in spraying position.

A special use for such a spraying device is 'that oi applying selective herbicides, such as Zit-dichloro-phenoxyacetic acid, its salts, or its esters, and other weed killers, plant foods, vand the like, which it may be desired to `apply to individual plants or to selected large areas such as lawns.

Further objects include the provision of a fine fan-shaped spray, and in the use of which a care fully controlled quantity of the liquid may be sprayed upon a given area. Ihe minimum speed of flow should be such that the desired fan-shape and sufficient force is maintained for effective use. To this end the extension provides a liquid pressure head or column of about one foot or more when the container is inverted and the spray nozzle 'is in 'active position.

Other 'objects include the provision of such a device which may be cheaply manufactured, which shall 'be durable and efficient in use, and which may `be conveniently attached to a vcontainer -of Ia type easily obtainable such as glass jugs or the like, which are Widely used for household liquids.

Other more specific objects will become apparent -in the following description whichv relates to the accompanying drawings, and in which;

Fig. 1 isa side elevation of a suitable container showing `our invention fitted thereto and in operative position Fig. 12 is "a fragmentary axial section showing parts attached to the neck or opening of the con- Fig. 3 is a bottom View of the parts shown in Fig. .2, the container portion being omitted.

Fig. 4 isa plan view of the same.

5 is a section through the spray nozzle Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the same.

Fig. '7 is a section through the spray nitzle, taken *at right 'angles tothe 'plane of Fig. 5. l

Fig. 8 Vis a sectional detail showing Va 'slightly inodie/dforin of the spray headattachmeurit.

There has been an increasingly extensivefii's of 'modern herbicides, plant foods, andthe `Elike, which are mixed with water and sprayed (inthe plants or lawns. However, inconvenience zhas been encountered in the use of vsuch materials.

"Our invention "provides liieah's "W'heleby th householder or gardener may utilize a 'etn-` Vell'entl'y 'available Container Virl vllhhfth afterial `may be prepared by mixing `'the liquid :and from 'which it may be applied V`by spraying with our device attachedto Ythe `'same centainer.

"Referring to the drawings by the use of "reiereno'e characters, the 'container I appearing Fig. 1 is lillustrative of any `suitable container anti is there shown es anordihary one lgallon ing having Aa neck portion '2, handle '3, -and the usial threads 'indicated at A (in Fig. 2)'. A serev'v4 ring `5, similar to the usual closure cap 'except that it has an open top, is shown as threaded onto the threads 4, The cap ring "5 inturned flange c extending partially over the 'end of the neck portion, and acting to clamp a flange 8 of a 'closure member lo which serves 'afs a "care rier for the spray Aextension tube, "the vent 'tube and the valve.

The closure member lo "is 'preferably 'termed oi resilient plastic material 'such as niolded rubber. As shown, it comprises essentially a dish body portion from which 'thefli'ange 3 eitends by which it is clamped yin closing position. Through the body portion of the closure member are 'formed 'openings around 'one of "vvh'ich, "coi-'istitutin'g the 'pouring or exitopenin'g l2, is outward extension or sleeve adapted to Mreceive the end of a nozzle tube l5. I

'fAt the innerside of 'the body portieri and around the 'opening 'l2 is a valve seat in the 'forni of a beveled or 'conical flange vagainst which `a flat valve member 2Q may be pressed 'to shutoff ow of liquid from the interior of the container through the opening l2 and tube f5.

A boss-like p'orti'on 2l is surrounded by a groove extending partially through the Vbody portion Ill and is provided with a slot tightly 'gripping the intermediate offset section o'f 'a lever member., one end 'of Which forms the valve 2'0, and the other end of which presents an extended handle or nger lever, indicated at 22.

By the arrangement shown, the boss 'l2 may be tilted slightly with relation to the remainder of the body portion IG sufficiently to 'effec the opening 'and lclosing of the valve Without tend ing to change the normal position foi' the tb l5 and that of the tube 25. The closing position of this 'valve member 2li against its bevel valve seat and of its lever 22 is indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 2.

Another opening, passing through the body of the closure member I0, receives a small vent tube, indicated at 25, which may extend from a point outside of the container to a point near its bottom on the inside. This tube may be adjusted longitudinally, being closely but slidably embraced by the opening in the resilient body of the member I9.

The nozzle tube I5 may be rigid or semi-rigid to allow directing the spray by manipulating the portable container while being held approximately in the position shown in Fig. 1. Both the tubes I5 and I6 may be made of somewhat flexible plastic, if desired.

I The outer end of the tube I5 is fitted with a nozzle comprising a cone-shaped member 39, which with the cap 32 forms a chamber from which the spraying openings 33 lead outwardly through an arc-shaped surface, indicated at 35.

The broken lines 34 in Fig. 5 indicate the axes of the openings 33 indicating their radial direction normal to the arcuate surface 35. As shown, these small openings 33 are arranged in parallel rows With the result that the spray is flat or fanshaped.

The raised surface 35 merges with a flat surface, and both the outer wall surfaces of the end of the nozzle join to a cylindrical side wall which may abut, or telescope over, and be cemented onto the ange 3| of the member 3U. This cap may be attached to the bell-shaped member permanently or may be removable for convenience in cleaning the small spray openings 33. One method of removably attaching'the spray cap is indicated in Fig. 8, where the ange is threaded and engages threads 39 on the cylindrical end of the member 30.

Our invention is preferably employed with a gallon jug in which the ingredients of the material to be sprayed may be mixed. In most instances, it is preferable when employing spray materials to be mixed with water that the jug first be partially lled with water and the active spray material then be added thereto in the proportion required for a full gallon of the diluted mixture. After the jug has been shaken to effect thorough mixing, sufficient additional water may be added to ll the jug. Our spraying device is then attached by inserting the tube 25, and then screwing the cap 5 into position onto the jug. 'Ihe small tube 25 is adjusted to be near, but not closed by touching, the bottom of the jug. The container and spray attachment are then tilted or inverted, and obviously the pressure of the liquid flowing through the tube I5 to the sprayed head will force the liquid outwardly in deflnitely directed streams through the opening 33.

Although the tube I5 may be flexed, it normally maintains the position shown, and the spray direction may be accomplished merely by moving the jug or container as it is carried over the area to be sprayed. The spray is indicated by the lines S in Fig. 1, and in practice it forms a fan-shaped spray including approximately a: forty-ve degree angle at the start, and obviously the liquid may be directed in a concentrated area, or spread in very finely distributed streams over a larger area.

AThe length of the extension tube I5 is such that the head or pressure column of the liquid is sucient to form an effective spray even though the body of the liquid L has been lowered in the inverted container to the level at which the container is substantially empty. The size,

number, and arrangement of the spraying openings 33 may be selected according to the average pressure head effected by the proportions and dimensions of the device as a whole so as t0 produce a predetermined, substantially constant rate of discharge of the liquid. Because the pressure head is necessarily relatively small in a device of this character, the resultant discharge spray is in the form of a number of nue, distinct, diverging streams'that produce little or no mist that might be blown onto areas or plant surfaces which could be damaged thereby, as when the liquid being sprayed is a potent herbicide.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim is:

In combination with a container having a restricted, externally threaded outlet opening, a spraying device comprising a cap ring engaging the threads of said opening and having an inwardly extending annular flange, a closure member formed of resilient material and having an outwardly extending annular flange clamped against the perimeter of said opening by the annular flange of said cap ring and having an aperture therethrough, a substantially rigid tubular member tted into said aperture for communication with the interior oi' said container and projecting outwardly therefrom a distance approximately as great as the depth of the conside of said aperture, said valve member having an external lever extension by means of which the valve member may be manually moved into closing engagement with said aperture, movement of said valve member being permitted by the resilience of said closure member, and a second tubular member passing through said closure member toward the bottom of the container to provide an air vent permitting continuous W of liquid from said container through said tubular member and spray nozzle when the container is inverted.

RAYMOND R. WARD. HAROLD A. WATERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 16,822 Babbitt Mar. 17, 1857 486,298 Ricker Nov. 15, 1892 549,678 Miller Nov. 17, 1895 752,803 Ross Feb. 23, 1904 1,518,412 Ross Dec. 9, 1924 1,601,723 Elbert Oct. 5, 1926 1,916,912 Armstrong July 4, 1933 1,952,437 Huber Mar. 27, 1934 2,148,196 Falk Feb. 21, 1939 2,156,313 Schwab May 2, 1939 2,176,395 Evers Oct. 17, 1939 2,196,323 Norton et al Apr. 9, 1940 2,249,274 Faine July 15, 1941 2,281,642 Ulanet May 5, 1942 2,387,699 Bates Oct. 23, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number` Country Date 194,719 Switzerland Apr. 1, 1938 327,351 Italy July 11, 1935 616,824 France Nov. 6, 1926 

